I Love You Ron Stoppable
by yvj
Summary: Complication ensue when hidden feelings are finally revealed. Will the valedictorian get the man of her dreams? Will the chess captain get the girl he longed for? It'll be a summer that the graduating class of Midleton High will never forget.
1. You're the one that I want

A/N This story is in response to a contest initiated by Zaratan, the subject of which was, "Create a story with a pairing that you've never done before."

This story was also inspired by a hilarious book called "I love you Beth Cooper" by Larry Doyle

Ok so you'll probably notice that I couln't tell this tale in one shot. Because it has too much potential for hilarity (and some angst) that I couldn't rush it. So those of you waiting for me to actually finish certains stories. I apologize but I've got another multi chapter story on my hands.

So um enjoy I guess.. I'm pretty sure no one's done this pairing before

* * *

JFTheano41 has joined the conversation

JFTheano41: Sorry about that AOL is the most incongruous piece of software that has ever been used for communication purposes.

EmanuelLaskerFTW: I love it when you talk dirty to me

JFTheano41: Hardy, har, har, har. So what were we talking about again?

EmanuelLaskerFTW: Your unstable molecule transmitter.

JFTheano41: I'm through with that; a little too dangerous. The mayor would be surprised at how close the city came to a nuclear meltdown.

EmanuelLaskerFTW: Hey if you're going to go out, what better way than to be atomized in a blinding flash of light and heat. That's how Chuck Norris spends his mornings.

JFTheano41: Dear God not the Chuck Norris jokes :(

EmanuelLaskerFTW: One time Chuck Norris was walking in the forest looking for hippies to use as firewood, when a grizzly bear crossed his path. Chuck lifted the bear into the air with his mind, spun him around, and digested him telekinetically.

JFTheano41: You are the stupidest intelligent person I've ever met.

EmanuelLaskerFTW: And Chuck wasn't even hungry

JFTheano41: Groan

EmanuelLaskerFTW: LOL

JFTheano41: BTW Did you get a chance to read the initial draft of my speech? It was quite amusing, don't you think

EmanuelLaskerFTW: You should do it.

JFTheano41: Do what?

EmanuelLaskerFTW: Do this speech, go with this version.

JFTheano41: I for one would be worried about the lack of kinetic energy in evidence among the amplitude of your cerebrum.

EmanuelLaskerFTW: I must disagree I happen to be at the height of mental clarity. This speech will be unforgettable; akin to the Emancipation Proclamation except it'll be a lot less important.

JFTheano41: Tell me again why you didn't make the debate team?

EmanuelLaskerFTW: Listen it will be the talk of Middleton High for years. Besides think of it this way, you may never see him again. This might be your last chance to release your hidden feelings; then you can move on.

JFTheano41: Now _that_ is a persuasive argument; recent studies have shown that repressed feelings can lead to future emotional complications.

EmanuelLaskerFTW: As if you didn't have enough emotional complications already. I say this as your closest confidante. This can nay it will be a good thing for you.

JFTheano41: Or it could be a monumental blunder of epic proportions.

EmanuelLaskerFTW: Either way it'll be one memorable evening, if you don't do this you may end up regretting it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but for the rest of your life!

JFTheano41: Ok Bogie I will be sure to give it a considerable amount of consideration.

EmanuelLaskerFTW: And maybe, he'll reciprocate those feelings.

JFTheano41: Sure except for one insurmountable, inconvertible fact.

EmanuelLaskerFTW: What?

JFTheano41: He's dating Kim Possible

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"I give up. All you're going to do is turn things around and make me feel like I'm wrong," Kevin Guberman's mother huffed loudly as she stomped out of his room.

"That's because you are wrong mom. It's called logic!"

He sighed and stared at himself in the mirror. He was short and slim; his hair topped with thick dark curls. Glasses…check….braces…check….acne…check….

_Ah Kevin you handsome devil, no wonder the girls are lining up around the block._

Low self esteem…..check.

He sighed again as he slipped on a green rugby shirt to go with his recently purchased brown cargo pants.

"Aww, you look super cute!" his mother crowed.

Kevin was crestfallen at being called super cute. "Didn't you just storm out of here?"

"Oh yes, but I forgot to ask if you could please pick up some soy milk on you way back."

It was like they didn't just have a fight.

"Sure."

"Oh and we're having vermicelli for dinner tonight so don't be late. Toodles!"

His possibly schizophrenic mother now gone Kevin returned to the mirror. It was the day before graduation; after tomorrow night he'd officially be done with high school.

Ah high school, an institution where the social hierarchies created in elementary school were reinforced, and the divisions between students deepened. Anyone not yet belonging to a social group was unmercifully teased until he would conform and join a group that would accept him. Then said student would be further mocked for joining a "loser" group.

_A vicious cycle _

At least, that's how it was for the first three years. Things changed a bit after the Junior Prom thanks to the actions of one Ron Stoppable. Whether they changed for better or for worse depended on how you felt about the food chain.

Kevin snatched his chess board off his bed and walked out of his room.

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Kevin and his best friend Peter Cooper shifted uncomfortably on the cold, stone benches they sat on. The chess board lay on a small stone table between them.

"So where were you last night?" Peter asked

They were currently immersed in their game, or more specifically Kevin was immersed in the game, which was status quo when it came to chess for the Middleton High chess club captain.

"Nice move…..I was out." Kevin answered

"Out? You sure you weren't carving Justine's name into your arm as you listened to some classic Journey songs?" Peter chortled, pleased with his taunting prowess. He and Kevin had been good friends since the first day of their freshman year at M.T High (M. T High was what it was called by the "cool" kids). They were always together, and surprisingly enough when they were apart, people would often mistaken one for the other. Even though Peter was taller, skinnier and didn't wear glasses.

Peter had a theory that people thought all losers looked alike

"I'm over that." Kevin said as he deftly captured one of Pete's pawns. "I'm all about the platonic now."

"Sure."

"In fact, I'm so over it, I convinced her to finally make her move."

Peter's interest in the game was now at its lowest level. This new announcement was very interesting.

"She's been holding it in for like two years. I told her it was 'time to let it out'……. I've got you pinned."

Peter laughed. "I'm shocked."

"About what?"

"That my head didn't explode from the sheer irony of your actions. Dude, why don't you follow your own advice?"

"I'd rather give advice than take it."

"Maybe you're a bit of a coward. An intellectual coward but a coward nonetheless"

Kevin sighed.

"By the way, that wasn't a question that was a statement." Peter rested his chin on his hands for a moment before making his next move. "So when is this all going down?"

"Tomorrow at graduation, and believe me, it's going to be a memorable one."

"What if he says yes?"

_He's not going to say yes, he's dating Kim Poss…._ Kevin shrugged. "Whatever." He placed his hands over a bishop piece. "My mom was on my case today."

"Ooo, nice change of subject, you are a master of conversation cues."

Kevin moved his bishop. "Check."

"Alright, I'll bite, what was big mama Guberman's problem today?"

"She can be so annoying sometimes you know. All I asked was for her not to blurt out a question at me when she first walks into a room. It's a well known fact that when your parents ask you a question out of blue, your natural instinct is too lie. She's turning me into a liar."

"I don't follow."

"For example, she walks into the room and out of nowhere she goes 'what are you doing later?' So I start to stall in my usual manner."

"Ah, the traditional Kevin Gubberman uhhhhhhhhh."

"So my mind starts constructing scenarios….."

'You're still constructing scenarios, we're graduating tomorrow!"

"And every single scenario was not a pleasant one. My mom has the tendency to impulsively decide it's time to clean the garage. So my brain is screaming lie, lie, lie….."

"Holy crap!" Peter quickly placed his hands over Kevin's mouth. "Check out who's here."

Kevin tore his face away from the chess board for the first time in half and hour. He followed Peter's eyes and he saw them.

There in the distance, hand in hand, strolling and chatting were the two celestial figures of Ron Stoppable and Kim Possible.

"Speak of the devil," Kevin muttered.

"This guy, this guy didn't just break the food chain last year, he shattered it."

"Don't point you idiot, they'll know we're talking about them."

"So what, everyone still talks about them, even though they've been going out for a year already."

Kevin opened his arms up wide. "I don't understand what the big deal is about! They've been friends forever."

"Friends, schmiends! He was pecking along at the bottom of the food chain last year, doing arguably worse than us socially, and she's a top five hottie in the school. It doesn't make sense."

"He taps into something," Kevin replied as he fingered his rook

"What?"

"When you see a couple who are not compatible like in the….looks department….you can bet that the guy tapped into something in her."

Peter nodded. "I get it; you're saying he's carrying an Eunectes murinus (anaconda) in his pants. One big enough to swallow Jon Voight….."

Kevin sputtered. "No, that's not what I'm saying at all…."

"Makes sense, I've always wondered why he slouches so much."

"Listen you idiot…"

"Idiot? My S.A.T scores weren't that much lower than yours……"

"Pete listen, I'm talking about basic psychology here, ok? I've done the research, some people have compatible archetypes."

Peter folded his arms over his chest. "Well Freud, explain."

"Alright" He glanced back at Kim and Ron. They looked so much in love.

_Damn them._

"Let's look at Ron. His archetype would be Best Friend/Free Spirit. The best friend is the guy with the shoulders you can cry on. He'll happily lend the sympathetic ear; he's decent and kind. The BF is a buddy you can count on when the chips are down and when things are looking their worst. The truth is the best friend can be a very loving partner, and in the working world, a loyal employee. But he's not very ambitious and he tends to welcome complacency."

"Make sense."

"Ron also falls into the category of free spirit. The free spirit skips through life, he is genuine, sincere and fun loving. The free spirit makes decisions with his emotions. While others might see his plans as whacky and impractical, to the free spirit, it's only natural to follow his inner voice. People are always surprised when the free spirit comes out on top, though in more cases than none, his impulsiveness will get him in many jams."

"Is this what you do with your free time, profile our fellow classmates?"

"Hold on, I'm on an inspired roll. The free spirit/BF is compatible with two kinds of people, one who happens to be the Chief/Crusader."

"Let me guess, Kim Possible."

"Yes Kim Possible. Let's analyze her, alright. The Chief is a leader. He/She, in this case she, is a person who seizes control whenever possible. Active, dynamic, stubborn, strong willed, occasionally pig headed, she has a need to fix problems and produce results. Challenges never discourage a Chief, in fact they relish the opportunity to defeat said obstacles. Chiefs exude confidence; they're fiercely protective of those they care for, which can lead to jealousy issues. And finally their independence is vitally important to them."

"How much longer is this going to take? They're getting closer."

Kevin was cranking now. "She's also a crusader….tenacious and head strong. She's a fighter in the truest sense of the word. Courageous, resolute, persuasive, she's a one woman army."

"I hate to say it but that does sound like Kim."

Filled with unprecedented vigor Kevin continued "Now you might say, wait a minute, those profiles don't sound like they would synch up at all!"

"Why would I say that?"

"The Chief thinks logically while the Free Spirit works on emotions. The Best Friend would say, the crusader is too wound up. The crusader would say the best friend is too laid back."

"Uh-oh trouble in paradise."

"But if you think about it, it works. In a relationship, the Chief learns that traditional ways are not always the best. She learns not to take life too seriously; he becomes more focused because she brings direction and stability to the table. He appreciates the way she gets what she wants, she enjoys his presence. They're never bored with each other.

"Ok I get it. They work together….."

"And the Best friend/Crusader connection is even simpler yet equally as profound, the best friend and Crusader both like to help. The BF likes to help his friends while the Crusader wants to help others and make the world a better place. They both appreciate someone who actually cares about people other then themselves. In addition, the BF finds a passionate partner in the Crusader and the Crusader finds a man she can trust in the BF. And viola the ingredients for a happy couple!"

"Hey guys, what's going on?"

"Oh jeez!" Kevin clutched at his chest before giving Peter a look that said 'why didn't you tell me they were so close?'

Peter shrugged. "Ron dude; never expected to see you around these parts."

Ron scanned the immediate area; there were dozens of stone tables and benches surrounding them, each created specifically for chess lovers who for years had frequented this section of the park.

"What, you saying I don't belong here?" Ron replied in a faux New York-y accent. "You saying I'm stupid? Are you saying I'm so dumb that me just being here is funny to you? Is that what you're saying?"

"I uh…I didn't mean it as an insult."

"Oh yeah, well I received it as an insult and that's how I believe it was given."

Peter gulped; Ron laughed a moment later.

"I'm just playing ya."

Kim elbowed him a little less than gently in the gut. "I am sorry guys; Ron was watching Mafia movies all day yesterday."

Ron ran his hand down the back of his neck. "Ok, I may have gone a little too far," he said sheepishly.

Peter smiled. "Well you really had me going. For a minute there, I thought you had finally come done with a case of jockitis."

"Nah, even with a state championship, I'm the same old Ron I've always been. Cept' now, I've got a badical babe hanging off my arm."

Kim grinned. "Well some can make the case that you've always had a badical babe hanging off your arm."

She leaned in for a kiss and Kevin groaned inwardly.

The sickening public display of affection caused Ron to blush. "So you guys hang out here allot." He said quickly

"Yep" Kevin took a look around himself. Memories of the many classic chess games he had seen or been involved with here flooded his thoughts "sometimes you just want to go where everybody knows you name."

"Cool, maybe I can play with you guys sometime. But you'll have to, you know, tech me how to play first"

"No problem"

"Well if you'll excuse us, we've got ourselves a movie to snag. We'll catch you guys tomorrow at the graduation." With that; the highly talked about couple skipped off. High on their own glee

It was horrible

Peter watched them go until they were dots in the distance. "He was of the biggest losers in school for three years. Now he's the best running back the school has ever seen and he's got Grade A babeage to squeeze on whenever he wants. Screw Lou Gehrig dude, the happiest man on the face of the earth just walked by."

"I guess."

"How did he pull it off…..Psychobabble be damned, I still say he must be packing. She probably uses it for shade during hot summer…"

"Are we playing or what?" Kevin seethed.

"Oh right, I forgot about your precious chess." Peter returned to the board. "So who was the second type?"

"What?"

"You said the Best Friend/Free Spirit was compatible with two types. You did Kim's, what's the second type?" Peter made his move.

"I thought it was psychobabble."

"Well listening to psychobabble is better than sitting in silence watching your nostrils flare as you 'concentrate' on your next move."

"The second type, under certain circumstances, and if some conditions are met, is the Librarian. In a relationship between the two, The Free Spirit gains rationality and practicality that allows him to soar to the stars that he's always dreaming of. The Librarian on her own would be so wrapped up in her thoughts she would have no time for anything else. But the Free Spirit's outgoing personality can free her from her own mind and she learns to appreciate life by seeing it's not always ruled by logic."

Kevin stared at the board. "I'll give you three guesses on who's a Librarian."

"Justine Flanner," Peter answered immediately.

Kevin captured another of Peter's pieces. "Checkmate."

They sat there for a minute or two, drowning in an awkward silence.

"So you want to play again?" Kevin asked.

Peter nodded "You know what's strange? Red hair on a girl is very sexy, red hair on a dude," he shook his head, "not so hot. Why do you think that is?"

Kevin shrugged as he placed the pieces back in their default position. "Another one of life's great mysteries I guess."

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Justine adjusted her hair band and cleared her throat. "You see, there's an easy way to multiply by five's, even without a calculator."

The blond boy sitting at the end of her bed looked confused. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"When you must multiply a number by five, simply add a zero to the number and then divide it by two."

"I don't get it."

"Let's say for example you want to find the answer for 243 multiplied by 5. What you do is add a zero to 243, making it 2430. Half of 2430 or 2430 divided by 2 is 1215, which is….."

"243 times five," he said gleefully.

"That's right." She reached for the notebook on his lap, but he was ready for her. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her down beside him.

"What are you doing?"

"Justine, you're so smart. No, you're brilliant, and beautiful."

"Oh," she blushed.

"And you're so kind to help me prepare me for the S.A.T's. Kim thought I was a lost cause." He lowered his eyes. "I was beginning to think I was a lost cause as well."

She pushed his chin up with her hand. "You're not a lost cause. You're just, you're just misunderstood."

He licked his lips. "How can I ever repay you?"

"A simple thank you is enough."

"No, that would be never be enough!" Without warning, he grabbed her by the waist and forced her down onto the bed.

She did not resist.

For a moment he lay on top of her, letting their bodies rub together, studying her face.

"But my parents," she cried.

"I don't care. You don't know how long I've waited for this moment; you will never know how many times this very scene has visited my dreams only to disappear with the mornings light."

"How many times?"

"What?"

"How many times have you dreamed of me?" She breathed heavily.

"More times than there are numerals in the solution when one is to divide 22 by 7."

"Oh……I have dreamed of you as well my love."

"Then let us make this dream a reality!" He flung her arms over her head and with one hand held her wrists still until she lay flat.

"So strong," she panted.

He trailed his hand idly over her body, then cupped and pulled at her flesh.

"No, we're from two different worlds, this cannot happen, it's wrong," she huffed.

"That's why it feels so right" He nibbled at her earlobe. "I'm prepared to go where no man has gone before. Then I'm going to go back again and again, and again."

"Oh my goodness!" She gasped. "I…I've never done anything like this before!"

He let her wrist go and began a trail of kisses that started at the base of her neck and slowly continued further south.

"Wait, where are you going? Oh…." She gasped when she realized what was happening. "Oh, oh, oh….MY GOD RON.!" She clutched his hair in a fierce grip

"Justine."

"Ron."

"Justine."

"Ron."

"Justine."

"Justine."

"Justine."

"MS. Flanner!"

Justine's eyes flickered open and she stared at the staunch face of Steve Barkin. "It's time for your speech Ms. Flanner or have you forgotten you're the valedictorian."

"Oh, oh the speech, of course."

She was in the backstage of the Middleton High auditorium.

_Note to self, no more of my mother's Harlequin romances. Stick to classical literature. Pride and Prejudice, Tom Sawyer, Walden_

"Ok I'm ready sir."

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**Three minutes into the speech:**

"Today we look forward to the future. And to do so, we must look back to our pasts with no regrets. To live without regrets, we mustn't be afraid to confess, and to confess we must be courageous.

Pause.

"Courageous enough to admit that there's nothing cool about being a stuck up witch. And the only reason I put other people down is because of my own insecurities. Insecurities possibly caused by my family."

Confused murmurs filled the auditorium. Dozens of eyes landed on Bonnie Rockwaller who greeted the glances with a growl.

"We must be courageous enough to say I'm gay and I'm proud. And I don't care what the others in detention might say" Justine glanced at a non specific section of the audience.

Big Mike almost jumped out of his seat. Justine saw him mouth. "But I'm not gay," from the corner of her eyes

"Let us be courageous enough to criticize and say some teachers do not have the necessary tools to teach every class."

"Hey, was that a shot," Barkin shouted from behind the curtains.

"And let us be courageous enough to say the things we've longed to say, but we've kept our mouths from saying." She leaned into the microphone.

**"I love you Ron Stoppable."**

There was a delay in the reaction from the audience.

**"I love you Ronald Stoppable."** She repeated

Some gasped.

Bonnie howled with laughter

Girls whooped.

Kevin stared forward as the melodic song "Bittersweet Symphony" echoed in a continuous loop in his mind

Kim stood up and cried, "Ron!"

Boys in the row behind him teasingly patted Ron on the back.

Ron blushed, babbled to his G.F with a look on his face that said three things "I have no idea what's going on, what happened, and what did I do?"

Barkin placed a hand on Justine's shoulder to signify the end of the speech.

But she continued. "I have loved you from afar. I once thought you were just another boy. But I saw your dedication, your loyalty and your kindness and my heart began to long for you."

Barkin grabbed the mic. "Thank you Ms. Flanner, you have given us much to think about."

She snatched it back. "I loved you in Biology class, in Latin class, in Algebra…."

"Thank you Ms Flanner…"

"I have loved you for a long time. But I didn't say it before because we barely spoke. Now I say it with no regrets."

Barkin pushed her away from the podium. "Ms Flanner everyone…"

The applause was deafening as she shuffled across the stage.

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The graduates, a few still in their caps and gowns, clustered in the cafeteria in the same clusters they always had, in the same spots they always ate when there were tables in the room.

Kevin had just bitten into an Oreo cookie when a familiar voice shouted out his name.

It was Ron Stoppable.

He ran up to Kevin apparently out of breath. "Hey Kev, I'm glad I caught up with you. You're Justine's friend right? Do you know where she is?"

Kevin eyed Ron suspiciously. "Where's Kim?"

"Kim, where?" His head swiveled from the left to the right. "Man, she's been watching me like a hawk ever since the speech."

"Justine's gone, she went home."

"Crud, I wanted to talk to her."

Kevin's eyebrow arched. "Why?"

"Because I…." He looked over his shoulders "I know how it feels to….you know…to like someone when they've already got eyes for someone else."

Kevin thought about this revelation. "Are you referring to the Eric situation?"

"Yea uh 'Eric'" he said with the air quotes "I know that the uh unrequited sitch can be pretty rough on a guy. Think about how it must be for a girl with all the extra emotions."

_Extra emotions? Who is this guy?_

"Yeah, unrequited love does suck, doesn't it?" Kevin agreed

"I just wanted to talk to her about it."

Cripes, why couldn't life be like the movies? Ron was supposed to be the popular stupid jock that dated cheerleaders, beat up nerds, and sucked up to the establishment. He wasn't supposed to be a formerly unpopular C average jock with a heart of gold, piercing hazel eyes and adorable freckles sprinkled on his cheeks.

If the universe was fair Ron (under the command of Kim Possible, who is upset at not being the valedictorian) would try to seduce Justine and take advantage of her innocence, forcing Kevin to rescue her. She'd realize she made a mistake and that true love was right under her nose. His best friend Peter would spend the whole night trying to get laid and after some hilarious sequences, he would wake up in the morning naked next to Bonnie Rockwaller. And then everyone would dance at the end to a cheesy seventies pop song.

But the universe wasn't fair……it was actually cruel and infinite.

And Kevin Guberman was a chump.

"Uh, Monique's party is tonight right?" Kevin said

"Right"

"Justine will be there."

"Really?"

"Yeah"

Actually, Justine had expressed to Kevin that she had no intention of going.

"Ok, so I'll see you guys there," Ron said rapidly when he saw Monique flagging him from across the room.

He turned his head away from Kevin "Kim, I was looking everywhere for you! Where did you go?" Ron turned back briefly to give Kevin a slight nod before hopping off.

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An hour or so later Kevin found her in her backyard, sitting up on the porch looking up at the stars.

"Thank you," she told him when he walked into her field of vision.

"Thanks for what?"

"For giving me the courage to do what I was afraid to do."

"Oh," he sat down beside her.

"You're a good friend."

"I guess." They both looked up at the night sky.

"You know," she said, "counting at a reasonable rate of two stars per second. It'll only take a year and half to count all the stars you can see from the earth."

"Cool."

Once he got to college, things would be different. Kevin would reinvent himself; he wouldn't start off another school year as a loser. He wouldn't only be identified as Kevin the chess club captain, because that's all he was in high school. That's probably how everyone would remember him, if they bothered to remember him at all. He was much more then that, much more. And maybe, if the planets aligned correctly, he'd learn how to be a Free Spirit.

"Uh Justine?"

She looked at him "Yeah…"

"I've got something to say."

"It's not another Chuck Norris story, is it?"

"I uh…" he paused, "about the party. I think you should reconsider"

* * *

A/N Ok I feel like I've cheated a bit since we've so nothing from Kevin Guberman behind his name being mention in the series. He's pretty much like an OC (Orginal cahracter) on my part. And since we've seen Justine in only one EP well you get the idea. 

But conscience aside. Here's what you can expect from this story

A new OC villian I have been thinking about (closer to the KP villians then my others) that I haven't been able to work in any story.

Partying

Nerd Love

Kim jelling

And other Funny stuff (hopefully) As per usual drop me a review and tell me what ya think

Ok my next "projects" will be a couple of updates Alot Like Love and Used to Be a Hero


	2. LoveStoned

A/N The contest is pretty much over but I thought I'd get this in the last few minutes. Unfortunately folks I probably won't be back to this story for awhile so I really hope this chapter is satisfying.

* * *

Freshman Year:

Justine stuck her head into the girl's locker room and glanced about. Quietly she stepped into the room and stale perfume assaulted her nostrils. Justine immediately heard giggling coming from the showers just off the very next row of lockers.

_Crud _she thought. She was never fond of showering with other people. There was just something uncivilized about the whole thing. Justine reached for the door handle when she heard Tara's voice.

"It's not fair, Ron saved us from the mutant kid but Kim got all the headlines."

Someone sighed

"So what, if he's not complaining about it why do you feel the need to?"

"He saved your life Bonnie"

"Yes and I thanked him didn't I?"

"But it's…."

"Yes I know it's not fair, you've been saying that since you saw the paper. Look this just proves that no matter what he does, he'll always be a loser."

Silence

"Oh…..my….God….you're not falling for the dork are you?"

More silence

"You're failure to heave uncontrollably at the suggestion can only mean yes."

"No, I just…maybe" Tara squeaked.

Another sigh

"Well I guess I shouldn't be so shocked, you practically through yourself at him when we were stranded."

"I wouldn't say I through myself at him" pause "the thing is I don't think he knows I exist."

"Shouldn't it be the way around? Shouldn't he be the obsessive stalker?"

"I'm not a stalker!"

"Are you sure you like him, maybe you have a fever, have you seen a doctor?"

"Bonnie please……maybe we should call the newspaper and explain."

"Tara just let it drop"

Justine quietly exited the locker room. A few minutes later she sat down in the study hall with a newspaper sprawled in front of her. She read the headlines to herself.

**Kim Possible saves classmates from mutated freak. Sidekick helps somewhat**

She was combing through the article when someone called out her name. She looked up to see Ron Stoppable quickly approaching her, a can of soda in his hands. He had closed the distance between them by half when his pants dropped down to ankles while he was mid-run. As one would expect his legs got entangled with his pants and he fell forward like a falling tree.

Justine couldn't help but have the words timber flash through her mind.

His face smacked hard against the ground. Luckily the floor had been carpeted or else there would be blood gushing from his nose right now.

He groaned, clutched his nose with one hand and snatched his can of soda with the other. He got up to his feet and shuffled towards her table.

Ron took in a deep breath. Obviously he wasn't in the best of shape.

"Justine" he said while holding his nose and trying to catch his breath at the same time

"Justine…big….make up……math…..test. Ain't got a calculator, KP gone home early, need yours please."

If bad grammar could kill he'd be a mass murder. She thought. "I need it I've got a pre-calculus test next period."

He took another deep breath and grabbed a seat right beside her. Apparently he had no idea about personal space.

"You don't need it. You're practically a calculator yourself; except you know you're human and not a machine."

_What is he going on about?_

"Last semester before they switched you to the brainy math classes, we were in the same class. And you were answering all the questions and 'puting all these equations. And I was pretty sure you were an android until you got that paper cut in US. History then I thought well she's human or at least a cyborg. Anyway you're smarter than me and even if I studied for a thousand years I'll never be as smart as you. Plus without the calculator you might get an A- instead of an A+. For me it's the difference between a C- and Barkin sending me back to elementary school.

She was going to tell him that she had never gotten lower than an A+ in her life (excluding a few gym classes) so why should she be willing to sabotage herself into getting one now because he couldn't figure out the difference between sine and cosine.

Justine was about to say just that when he popped the top of his soda can and had twelve ounces of grape soda gush into his face. He fell over backwards and bumped the back of his head against the edge of an empty chair before crashing to the floor. And for some inexplicable reason his pants dropped again; which didn't really make any sense seeing how he was lying on his back.

She looked at him squirm on the ground then, she looked back the newspaper, and then she remembered the conversation between Bonnie and Tara.

Ron climbed back up to the table, grape soda dripping from his cowlick. They both could hear the loud snickers coming from the other students in the study hall.

She had to ask, she had to know.

"Why do you do it?"

"What?" He asked as he slid back into his seat. Her eyes flickered to the newspaper.

"Oh the whole saving the world thing; that's Kim bag I'm just there to help, watch her back you know." He pulled the newspaper towards him. "Sidekick helps somewhat! Coolio, I never got that much recognition before and look in this picture of Kim that's the back of my head right there in the corner."

This was illogical by all counts. He's was obviously out of shape, and God knows he wasn't all that bright. It had to be a testament of Kim's skills to why he was still alive.

Yet Tara did say……..

Ron continued to read the paper "Sidekick Ram Unsteepable? Come on, how could anybody think that's a real name?"

Maybe he was a thrill seeker; maybe he had a death wish, maybe he was too stupid to realize he was risking his life all the time.

"That whole camp episode sounded really dangerous."

"Yep it was."

Short simple sentences, Hemingway would love this boy.

"But funny thing is Gill was pretty tame compared to Drakken and Shego, especially Shego. Now there's somebody you've really got to watch out for. You don't really know danger until you've had green plasma blasting all around you."

"So helping Kim, is that all you get out of that?"

"Well I get to see some really cool things and places too but yea it's mostly for Kim."

"And that's enough for you?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" he said nonchalantly "…..So about the calculator?"

And she gave it to him, though she didn't now why at first. It may have been a momentarily lapse of sanity. Later that day she reasoned that she probably pitied him.

But she couldn't help wonder if he was being truthful. She pondered on the Team Possible dynamic. Kim was a given she supposed, but Ron didn't make sense. It was an intriguing situation. She wanted to know what motivated him, why he does what he does. Maybe when she was free from her current experiments, one day, she would find out more about him.

It was what any true scientist would do.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Present Day:

"I don't know about this."

"What's to know?" Kevin asked as he plopped down her bed.

"What's to know? First of all the last party I went to had clowns and magicians."

Kevin lay back on her bed; he looked up at the poster of Stephen Hawking that lay over her bed. "Well I guess you're due"

Justine who was visibly nervous tried to maintain the facade of a person rearranging her book shelf. She had been holding the book "The Unbearable Lightness of Being: A Novel" in her hand for the past five minutes. It had momentarily escaped her whether she categorized her books by alphabetical order or the Dewey Decimal system.

"No I can't"

"He who refuses to embrace a unique opportunity loses the prize as surely as if he had failed."

She turned to him "no, no, do not start quoting nineteenth century philosophers to me ok."

He sat up "Would you prefer something from 23 BC "Carpe diem" seize the day my friend………The speech wasn't enough as far as closure goes."

"This is highly preposterous….I…..I don't want to ruin it."

"Justine what's there to ruin?" Kevin sighed "just talk to him, face to face. It'll be good for you"

Silence fell between them.

"I don't, I don't have anything to wear."

"How about that blue dress your aunt got you last Christmas?"

"What?" Justine was a bit shocked that Kevin had remembered the dress. She in fact had forgotten all about it. It was probably buried deep somewhere in her closet."

"You only wore it once and I thought it looked good on you"

"Really?"

"**HISlaH**" (Klingon: Translation: It is so; as you say or ask.)

She sighed "I set the pieces in motion; I might as well see how they play out. Come what may, I guess"

Kevin stood up "cool"

"What would you do?"

"Hmmm?"

"If you were in my position what would you do?"

He stood there silently as she awaited his answer. He looked into her eyes and there he found the confidence to lie "I would go to the party."

"I still feel a bit wary about this."

Kevin placed one hand on her shoulder "Look trust me, if I thought this wouldn't make you happy I wouldn't be here."

"Oh" she replied after a moment's hesitation. "Look you go on ahead, I'll meet you there."

"Are you sure, I can walk you there….."

"Its fine, I've got to get myself ready, I might be late…."

Kevin started to say something.

"But I'll be there" she interjected

"Promise?"

"Promise"

"Cool, I'll see you there."

He headed for the door "just remember this old Bulgarian proverb…."

"No, no more quotes"

"Alright fine" he started to close the door behind him but instead of closing the door completely he left it open wide enough for him to stick his head back in the room

"Seize the opportunity by the beard, for it is bald behind."

Justine grabbed a book off her shelf, "Parable of the Sower" and tossed it at him. But it smacked harmlessly against the now closed the door.

"What an imbecile" she said with a smirk on her face. "Now where is that dress" she dove into her closet and started a frantic search that was soon interrupted by her mother.

"Mother I'm in the middle of something important."

"But there's some on the phone for you dear."

"Who is it?"

"A Bonnie Rockwaller, she says she's a classmate of yours."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The street lights were on when Kevin got home. It must have been at least twenty past nine. He had left Justine's house at 8:20, normally on average it was only a fifteen minute walk from Justine's place to his. But tonight it had seemed to take much longer. He wouldn't have been surprised if an hour had passed since he left Justine's house.

It was a solid hour of, thinking, wondering, doubting if he had made the right moves or not.

Kevin glanced at his watch; 8:32

He began contemplating a theory that linked emotional pain with the slowing of time. He imagined himself standing before a team of the world's best scientist. "My fellow scientist" he would say "It is of my humble opinion that as a victim of unrequited love's rationale and emotional capabilities, collapse under their own weight, a black hole of considerable emotional pain is created. A black hole that while unnoticeable by human senses can in fact slow the passage of time around said victim. In addition it deflects any source of positive thoughts while misery is unable to escape its gravitational pull."

The team of scientist applauded and that's where they day dream ended. Kevin sighed; he didn't have time to waste in fantasies, he had a party to get too. He pushed his way through the backdoor of his house, and was immediately mobbed by his parents.

Once he was tired of the onslaught of congratulations. Kevin backed away from them and announced that he didn't have time for pleasantries because he had a party to get to.

At first his parents were shocked which irritated Kevin, later when the news had settled in they were all too happy, happier than normal parents would have been, which further agitated Kevin.

"Oh you should wear those blue corduroys I brought you for Christmas. Those pants are really super cute"

Kevin cocked an eyebrow, if he had wanted to get teased and beaten up on this his last day of high school, then yes he and his mother would be on the same wavelength right now.

"I'm sure supercute is not the look Kevin would be going for" Mr. Guberman stated "Whatever Kev' decides to put on will be fine.

He wrapped a parental arm around Kevin "let's walk and talk son" Mr. Guberman carefully guided the fruit of his loins into the living room "Kev life isn't all about science, psychology and chess"

"I know Dad"

"One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching. It's ok to have fun sometimes"

"Right"

His father gave him a little squeeze "There are condoms in my bedside table."

"What?" Kevin asked before his brain could fully register this abrupt comment.

"I want you to take some just in case, before you leave for the party"

Dear God it was like the baseball tryouts all over again (which he had failed miserably at). His father was again having unusually large expectations for him

"You must be responsible son they're not toys."

"Really? But I was going to use them to play Pogs." Was what Kevin wanted to say but what he actually said was "ok"

"Don't forget to have fun. But not too much fun" Mr. Guberman called out after Kevin started up the stairs to his room.

"I don't think there's much danger of that." Kevin muttered under his breath

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ok we'll meet up at the white hen later, load up on gum and swamp game plans…."

Kevin rolled his eyes "what game plan?"

Peter's voice wafted over the speaker phone "you know the game plan to get you and Justine together."

"Are you done Pete?"

"Ok, hold on just one more question. You remember those psychological archetypes you were harping about the other day?"

"Yes"

"I've thought about, I think you've been holding back on me. The free spirit can't be the only one compatible with a Librarian there's got to be another match."

Kevin thought about this. Peter was right there really was another match. "Well honestly there is one more."

"Yea so what is it?"

"Well it's…" Kevin quickly and deliberately disconnected the call. Peter's joshing was not what he needed right now. For one thing he had to figure out a way to get Justine and Ron alone to talk.

He took a half step away from the phone when it started to ring again. He picked it up "look I'm busy right now and…."

"Hello"

This wasn't Peter's voice "Ron?".

"Kevin is that you?"

"Yes it's me, are you ok?" it may have been the connection but it sounded like there was a bit of a crack in Ron's voice.

"I'm fine but I don't think I'll be able to make it to the party"

"Whoa, wait a minute why not?"

"Oh I don't know it might just be this feeling of impending doom I have gnawing in my chest, that's holding me back"

"Oh come on, you can't back out now" Kevin glanced at the clock on his wall. "The party has already started."

"Dude you don't understand this has got to be the worst idea I've ever had. I don't know what I was thinking!"

"I already told her you were coming and that you wanted to talk things over with her" he lied.

Silence

"You did?"

"Yea"

"Talking to her on the phone would be kind of a dirtbag move wouldn't it?"

"Definitely"

Ron let out deep sigh.

"And don't forget you owe me dude" Kevin added "remember what happened when you tried to join the chess club"

"Wait are you talking about the thing with the pawn and Kelly's glass eye? I totally apologized for that"

"No the thing with Frank Bynum and the rook; don't you remember, he couldn't sit down for a week"

"Oh right" he could hear Ron shudder "you'd think something like that would be hard to forget…."

"Let's never mention it again."

"Maybe……maybe I should talk to Kim about this?"

Kevin's eyes went wide; the last thing he wanted was for Justine to be greeted with sixteen forms of kung fu once she walked through the doors of the party.

"I don't think…….."

"Ron!" shouted a female voice from the other line.

Kevin heard Ron yelp and this was followed by a frantic rustling coming from the other side. Kevin could only assume that Ron was hiding the phone somewhere.

"Hiya Kim"

Kevin held the phone tighter around his ear.

"Who were you talking too?"

"Oh, I uh….myself"

"Yourself? You were talking to yourself?"

"Yeah"

"………….Again?"

"Why not?"

"So what are you doing up here in the tree house then?"

Kevin's eyebrows furrowed _He was in a tree house?_

"Oh you know just hanging, thinking, pondering about stuff"

Kevin listened intently he heard Kim sigh "I've been thinking too, and I want to talk about what happened at the graduation"

"What…what happened at the graduation?"

_Is he serious?_

"What happened at the graduation? Are you serious? How about the valedictorian confessing her eternal love to my boyfriend"

"Oh yea that, I had forgotten all about it. It just went through one ear and out the other."

Her reply was a low murmur

"What uh. Are you alright?"

"I'm not jelling"

"Never said you were Kim"

"It's just that…you know."

"I don't remember you taking the Bonnie sitch so badly"

Kevin squeezed the phone into his cheek as hard as he could. Should he be listening in on this conversation? He had no right to listen in on their private conversations.

"When Bonnie kissed you….."

Kevin turned up the volume on his phone

"……I was miffed at first but deep down, I kind of knew Bonnie had an ulterior motive. But Justine, she, this is different Ron. She said she loved you."

Kevin felt a light stab of immense pain in his chestal region.

"I should have known. Every time she passed us in the hallway sometimes I'd catch her taking peeks at you through the corner of my eyes but I never put two and two together."

"What? When did this happen? I never noticed anything like that." Ron said

She sighed "Ron I love you but sometimes….allot of times….luckily…you can be a bit oblivious. You just don't notice these things, remember Yori?"

_Yori…….it had to be that hot Asian chick that went to our school for like one day. _

"That doesn't count she used her secret ninja training to mask her emotions"

"She was so, all over you when we had the mission to save Sensei"

"I don't really remember things being that way"

"And Tara, well the only way you would have noticed her is if she asked to sit on your face."

"Is that offer still on the table" Ron chuckled.

There was another pause, and then someone cleared his/her throat.

"I was just trying to add some levity to the situation. Lighten up the atmosphere, the atmosphere in here is so thick I'm chocking on it…….…………KP have I told you that you have the most beautiful green eyes"

It's hard to stay mad when you say stuff like that, come here" she purred. There were a few more rustling noises followed by the sound of apparent lip smacking.

"Ugh" Kevin put the phone down. He mentally counted sixty seconds and placed the phone back in here ear.

"Kim, I want to talk things over with Justine…..Just too clear things up."

It took every amount of willpower for Kevin not scream into the phone. There came the longest lull in the conversation yet. It was an eerie silence, like the quiet moments in a horror movie right before a maniac plunges his dull knife into a promiscuous girl's chest.

"Ok"

Kevin almost fell over onto the floor.

"Are, are you sure KP?"

"Yea, I know you want to do the right thing, and I trust you."

Shuffling noises

Kevin became aware that Ron may have completely forgotten that he was still on the line.

"You've got something on your lips; Let me just brush it off…hold on it won't come out maybe I should use my lips to clean it off."

"Ron stop….." she giggled.

"No, no it's right there. Don't worry I'll get it."

Kim chortled "The tree house won't hold"

"Ugh" Kevin tossed the phone on his bed once it was apparent that another impromptu make out session was in progress.

He shuffled into his bathroom and leaned against the bathroom sink. He turned the faucet on and let the water run onto his hands for a few seconds before splashing it across his face.

He wondered how he had gotten into such a fine mess in the first place. His plight he thought was akin to that of Sisyphus, putting his shoulder on to the boulder and rolling it up the hill yet again, and for all eternity. Peter was right this situation was hilariously ironic. Kevin almost laughed at the irony, but he accidentally bit his tongue instead.

He sauntered back to his room and plopped himself onto the bed, he snatched the phone up and placed it against his ear.

"Ron….hehee….stop you know that tickles" Kim gasped "oh…..wait…I didn't actually want you to stop…..Yes there's a difference……there's "stop-stop" and "stop-keep going it feels great" we had this talk remember?"

Kevin groaned, dropped the phone and rolled onto his back. He closed his eyes and reopened them a minute later. He remembered now, why he had currently thrown himself into this predicament.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Middleton High Jr. Prom: Last Year

Kevin took a sip from the red plastic cup in his hand as he leaned against the gymnasium wall, doing a perfect and exact imitation of a wall flower. He was this close to perfecting a risky opening chess move that fooled the opponent into thinking he was opening with a Queen's pawn when he was in fact actually working a King's pawn. Kevin's mind was reeling with possibilities when suddenly Peter shouted.

"What are we doing here? What is this, a study on social ostracism?"

Kevin glanced up from his plastic cup. He never gave much thought to why he was here. It felt to him like some kind of class trip, and besides once his dad got wind of the prom there was no way he could have stayed home and not feel like the dork that he ironically was.

He looked around the gymnasium, yes there were people on the dance floor living up, but there was just as much people hanging near the walls. And this was technically a party but it felt more like a mass gathering in the school hallways. Nothing was different, the same people mingled with their "own" social group.

No jock had his arm wrapped around the waist of a female mathathlete, no anime fan or otaku was petting a cheerleader, no super model looking chick was hanging out with a mousy librarian looking gal, and giving her tips on how to keep her hair up.

The truth was the social hierarchies remained the same in school and out. It was actually quite fascinating, if you could disassociate yourself from the fact that you were one of the losers.

"This is ridiculous" Peter fumed "I'm not having any fun are you having fun?"

Kevin responded with an "um"

"Weissmuller" Peter shouted to another classmate on the other side of the table "are you having any fun?"

Weissmuller didn't respond he just started off into infinity.

"What's the matter with him?" Kevin inquired.

Peter rolled his eyes "Jennifer is what happened. She's standing there across the room"

"Jennifer? You mean the Goths actually showed up. I thought they were all about being anti conformists?"

"Exactly, so a few of the Goths didn't conform to the other Goths who decided that all the Goths wouldn't show."

"That makes sense."

"Of course it does" Peter shook his head "Poor Weissmuller he's lovestoned."

"Yeah" Kevin peered around the room. He had convinced Justine to show up even if it was for less than an hour. It was a good idea he told her to try and melt her "icy" image before senior year. She however did not care about her image and it took him calling in a favor to get her to attend.

He was about to ask Pete if he had seen her when…..

"It finally happened. She's dating that loser. Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable are dating?!"

It was as if all the air had rushed out of the room. The gymnasium literally became a vacuum; nobody moved an inch, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. In a matter of seconds every pair of eyes in the room had now fallen onto the entrance where Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable stood shoulder to shoulder hand in hand.

Then it came, before Kevin could fully wrap his mind around what was going on, a thunderclap of approval was echoing across the walls of the gymnasium.

"Whoa" Peter whispered to Kevin as the others continued to cheer "didn't see that one coming"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I knew it dude, I totally knew it" Ron Reiger stated "you had to be blind not to see that it would have happened sooner or later."

"Is that right Nostradamus? I remember it was not to long ago you thought she was checking you out in homeroom." Kevin said

"That was so last year"

"That was so delusional" Peter quipped, and then he scanned the faces in the circle of nerds that had crowded around him "guys this is huge"

"What do you mean?" Reiger asked.

"Dude Ron's a loser." Peter announced.

"Right…" Kevin said.

Peter rubbed his hands together "we're losers too…."

"And?"

"I'm not a loser" Reiger declared but he was ignored.

"Don't you see…" Peter continued "Ron's a loser, we're losers. But Ron's dating Kim Possible; it totally throws everything we know about the food chain out the window. It's like suddenly finding out you can divide a number by zero, it changes everything! Hope springs eternal my fellow nerds!"

Kevin stared skeptically at his friend "Pete, are you ok?"

"Look something is happening on the stage" Ron was climbing up the stairs of the stage. Kim was holding him by the arm trying to pull him back

"Ron you don't have to do this." She told him

"I so totally do, trust me KP it'll be badical" He ignored her additional pleading and continued onto the stage leaving her behind. He spoke briefly to the band and the lead singer handed him the microphone.

Ron tapped the mic "testing, testing…….Uh ok folks bear with me but um ok…." he took a deep breath "this song is dedicated to a very special lady."

Kevin never thought a human being could possibly become as red as Kim was right now. She wasn't really blushing as much as she was glowing brightly. Her face actually matched her hair.

"Ok here we go" Ron cleared his throat.

"Oh no, he's not going to sing is he?" Kevin wondered.

**"Here I am broken wings, quiet thoughts, unspoken dreams."**

A chorus of giggles erupted from many of the girls in the gym. The guys let out hoots and hollers of their own.

Kevin could feel himself blush "this has got to be rough, even I'm embarrassed for him.'

"Then you'd be embarrassed for nothing, look at him, he doesn't care what they think."

**"Here I am. Alone again and I need her now to hold my hand." As if on some cue the lights dimmed**

Kevin watched in fascination as Ron leaned back, closed his eyes and prepared to fully commit himself to the song.

Ron pointed to Kim "**She's all….she's all I ever had. She's the air I breatheeee yea…She's all, she's all I ever haaaaaaaaaaaaad!"**

_Christ_ he wasn't that bad Kevin reasoned. This reasoning was also supported by the fact that the giggling girls had now dragged their dates back onto the dance floor. And a parade of slow dancing couples had commenced.

This however was all lost to Ron who was currently trapped in his own world, the price of giving himself up totally to the song

**"It's the way she makes me feel. It's the only thing that's real. It's the way she understands. She's my lover, she's my friend. And when I look into her eyes it's the way I feel inside. Like the man I want to be. She's all I ever need."**

"Interesting night eh Weissmuller…..Weissmuller?"

Kevin glanced at Peter who was waving his hands before Weissmuller's face.

Weissmuller blinked once twice, he pushed his glasses up his nose, clenched his fist and abruptly brushed past Peter.

"Weissmuler what the hell?" Peter exclaimed.

Every nerd in their group watched in amazement as Weissmuler made a beeline for the Goths.

"He's not going to…." Reiger started

Weissmuller waded through the group of Goths and stood before Jennifer. He said a few words that Kevin could not make out and put out his hand. Jennifer stared at him stunned for a moment; then she looked back and forth between the other Goths. They were equally as speechless as she was.

**"So much time, soo much pain (but) there's one thing that still remains. (It's the) The way she cared, the love we shared. And through it all she's always been there."**

The improbable happened; she reached out and took his hand. Weissmuller smiled and they both skipped onto the dance floor.

"Holy crap" Kevin heard Peter mutter. Then his head snapped towards another commotion.

Johnny Doss the star wide receiver for the football team had separated himself from the jocks. He strolled over the long, long walk towards the section of the gym designated for the brains.

It was a well known fact that Johnny had almost gotten kicked off the team because he was failing Spanish, so he had gotten himself a tutor; a brain by the name of Jeanine Estevez.

**"She's all; she's all I ever had in a world so cold, so empty."**

Johnny walked up to the girl who had been tutoring him all semester. He took a deep breath and said.

"Jeanine yo realmente le quiero" (I really like you)

Jeanine's jaw practically hit the floor. Kevin's did

Ron did a little spin on stage **"She's all, she's all I ever haaaaaaaaaad!"**

¿Querría usted bailar? (Would you like to dance?)

Jeanine nodded "Si" he grabbed her and then they were off.

Reiger ran his hands through his hair "What's going on?"

"It's some kind of Domino effect" Kevin assessed.

"More like chaos theory" Peter offered

**"It's the way she makes me feel. It's the only thing that's real. It's the way she understands."**

Then it happened like a dam giving way. Large groups of people separated themselves from their respective social groups and joined together in the middle of the gymnasium.

New couples paired up and joined up with the original slow dancers

**"She's my lover, she's my friend. And when I look into her eyes it's the way I feel inside. Like the man I want to be. She's all I ever neeeeeeed!"**

"There must be a gas leak or something. This is my one chance" In a fit of enthusiasm Reiger darted off in Bonnie's direction

"How much do you want to bet Bonnie kicks him in the…." Peter stopped and turned in a 360 degree motion. Kevin was gone.

Kevin poked and prodded his way through the masses. _Man how could I have forgotten, she must have gone home already._

That's when he spotted her. She sat alone in the corner of the room her hands folded over her lap; she stared up at the stage.

He pushed past a few people until he was standing beside here. "Hey" he said.

She looked up at him with a grin "Looks like they got together, officially. It's about time"

"I'm sorry" he blurted out.

"About what?" she asked quizzically

"I, um I…if I didn't make you come here you wouldn't have…" he let his words trail.

"No its fine….. Like a meteor shower there are things better seen than heard about."

Kevin didn't reply.

"If you think about it, it's a really brave thing to do. It fits his character perfectly."

"Brave? I don't know…confessing to someone you've known for years, hardly seems like the most arduous task in world."

"How do you know? Have you ever done something like that? Telling someone you've considered a friend for so long, you love them, may be the most distressing and frightening thing ever imagined."

She was right, he knew she was right; it was the most distressing and frightening thing in the entire universe. He knew this from firsthand experience, but that was irrelevant right now.

"Do you want to go home?."

"No I'd like to stay awhile longer." Tears stood in the corner of her eyes but she didn't raise a finger to wipe them away.

**"It's the way she makes me feel. It's the only thing that's real."**

That's when he got his revelation, for the first time he realized that it might have been more than a standard high school crush. And the thoughts were followed by a sensation that felt like an ice pick slashing into the main organ of his circulatory system.

"You, you love him don't you?"

She lowered her eyes to the floor a tear fell down onto her lap "that hypothesis has yet to be confirmed" she joked.

It wasn't like Justine to joke or lie about a serious matter.

That was confirmation enough.

For both of them.

Kevin licked his lips, and looked away. His own issues, his fear, his worrying, his lost, he could deal with. But somehow he couldn't bear to see her in such a state.

Not knowing what to do next, he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"You want to dance?" He asked his voice cracking.

Justine reflected on his offer for a moment "sure" she said finally.

**"It's the way she makes me feel. It's the only thing that's real. It's the way she understands. She's my lover, she's my friend!"**

Kevin led her to the dance floor directly underneath the disco ball hanging from the ceiling. He turned to her and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her close, as close as friendship would allow.

Justine seemed to study his face as they danced "What are you thinking about?"

"Me? I'm thinking about a clip of a FIDE World Chess Championship match between, Classical World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik, and FIDE World Chess Champion Veselin Topalov I saw on the net."

She scrunched up her face "why would you be thinking about that?"

He drew in a breath "imagine this; in past encounters, Kramnik had defeated Topalov 10 times, lost 5 games, with 24 draws. In classical time control games since the beginning of 2004, the score is 2 wins each, with 3 draws. This is a huge match up; this is for the unified title."

"Alright"

"Now picture this; in the last game the third tiebreaker, Kramnik displays his skill in positions where the queens have been exchanged. Topalov's small inaccuracy on his twentieth move was punished by a precise sequence of moves from Kramnik, which eventually won him a pawn. In an extremely difficult position, Topalov made one final blunder, and the match was over."

"Ok" Justine said. "Just to let you know, I've never heard of any of these people."

"Before I go on, quickly, are you thinking about anything else?"

"No I'm only thinking about this game…..oh"

"Exactly" Kevin replied. "That's why I'm thinking about chess."

Justine smirked "Would it be ok if I thought about Quantum Physics instead of chess?"

"Be my guest, but between you and me I'd recommend you go with chess."

"Get away from me you freak!" Someone shouted over the music. The shout was then followed by a groan and a noise that sounded suspiciously like a nerd hitting the ground in pain as he clutched his privates.

_I guess somethings don't change _Kevin thought.

**"And when I look into her eyes it's the way I feel inside. Like the man I want to be. She's all I ever need!"**

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Present:

"Hello. Hello. Kev, are you still there?"

His eyes still on the ceiling Kevin grabbed the phone and placed it against his cheek "yeah I'm still here."

Ron chuckled nervously "sorry about that, I kind of got uh distracted."

"Right"

"Listen so I'll be at the party, I might be a little late though but I'll be there. Then I guess we'll just wing it from there.'

"Cool." Kevin then hung up and let the phone drop to the floor. He sighed "party time"

A minute later his mother burst unannounced into his room "honey I just want you to know if you feel like leaving the party early. You can just call and I'll have dad pick you up."

She stared at the motionless body of her son "hun, are you ok?"

"The Semi-Slav Defense is a variation of the Queen's Gambit chess opening, defined by the opening moves. The opening resembles a mixture of the Orthodox Queen's Gambit Declined and the Slav Defense." He told her without moving an inch of his body.

"Oh, that's nice, don't forget to say goodbye before you leave" she said cheerfully before closing the door behind her.

* * *

A/N Funny thing about this chapter is that while I was writing it, in the early parts I was disgusted with it the way it was coming together. I thought the flow and pacing were off and the characters weren't good enough but by the time I got to Ron and Kevin's phone convo I was feeling much better about things. And now looking at it this chapter may contain some of the better pieces of dialouge I've ever written 

Go figure.

Well read and review as always


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